Eat Like The Great Gatsby—Make Dolley Madison Cake!

From the White House to your kitchen, this retro recipe has plenty of history and fall flavor!

Dolley Madison was the wife of James Madison, the fourth president of the United States.  During her time as First Lady, she took on a highly public role supporting her favorite causes and was known for both her unique personal style and being a gracious hostess of countless social functions.  This cake is one of her many famous recipes.

Surprisingly, Dolley Madison cakes were still being made in kitchens everywhere in the early 20th century.  Maybe the World Wars piqued widespread interest in Americana and recipes from the past.

The original recipe doesn’t note what type of frosting to use.  I found out that Dolley Madison cake calls for caramel icing.  You can either purchase some or try out the homemade caramel icing recipe that I used for my cake.

Let’s get baking!

1. First, mix together the following:

• 2 cups of sugar
• 2/3 of a cup of butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup of sweet milk (the vintage kitchen term for whole milk)
• 3 cups of flour
• 3 heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder

 
2. Divide the mixture into two pans greased with butter.
 
3. To one pan, add:

• 1 tablespoon of molasses
• 1 cup of chopped raisins
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice
• ½ teaspoon of cloves

4. Cook the cake layers for about 50 minutes at 350 °F.  Remove the cake from the pan after it has cooled.

5. Add caramel icing between the spice cake and yellow cake layers.  Drizzle icing all over the top of the cake.  

​It’s time to enjoy your sweet treat!